The following 2 weeks were filled with hard decisions but also many blessings to my mom's family. The stroke had caused major damage for my grandmother, and the resulting decision was to take her home under hospice care to live out the remaining days of her life around family. My mom traveled to Newport Beach to be with my grandparents during this time, and while MaMere peacefully reached the end of her earthly life, she was blessed by visits from almost the entire family, and appeared to be happy and at peace with being at home. I was unable to travel home during this time, but called often and was even able to speak with MaMere twice on the phone. Thankfully, Emily being at UC Irvine allowed her to be with MaMere a lot during this time as well.
I knew when I left for Ireland that such a thing could happen, but it is definitely one thing to think of it and another to live through it. Those two weeks found me clutched to my phone in between classes and in the evening, waiting for any news or updates. Kevin became a huge support system for me in addition to the usual support he provides during school. In fact, it was one night while sharing stories of our grandmothers that it finally hit me how much I will miss my grandmother. She was a quiet woman, but very stubborn and determined. She loved my grandfather enormously and set a wonderful example of a wife and mother and grandmother. I realized also at this time how much I am like her in several ways. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the blessings we have been given in life from those in our families.
On January 23, at 1:12am I received a text from my mom that MaMere had gone to join her heavenly party. From what I was told, the last day was very peaceful, and many family members were around.
In the last days, us grandkids were asked to write a few comments about our memories of MaMere, so I am including my thoughts below in honor of her life:
Memories of MaMere
As one of Grandad and MaMere’s grandchildren, I am immensely blessed to have had the quality and amount of time with them both that I have had. Grandad is the super social one, and MaMere the quieter one. Yet, the older and wiser I get, the more I have learned about MaMere through stories. What I have discovered is an extremely capable, loving, sometimes stubborn, but very stable cornerstone in the Normandin family. She helped raise a large family and instilled values which have been passed down to her children. I, as a grandchild, have reaped the benefits of this through the example of my own mother. In some ways, I see MaMere in myself. Just ask my parents about my own stubbornness at times. But it is a stubbornness used as a desire to be independent and the knowledge of being capable of handling life. MaMere not only displayed this, but achieved it in an incredibly humble manner. That is something I can only hope to be able to achieve myself.
As a memory, one of my favorite ones was actually just in the last couple of years. I was living close by in Newport Beach at the time, and there was a day when Grandad was away overnight and most of the following day. So, after work on the second day, I came over to spend time with MaMere and visit until Grandad came home. While we did not do much, we enjoyed dinner together and ended up watching Erin Brochovich on TV. We were mostly quiet while watching the movie, but there was something about that quietness that was not only comfortable, but pleasant. Just the two of us, separated by a generation, but still able to just kick back, relax, and appreciate the same movie. What a treasure that time between us was, and still is for me, as it is the only time in my memory that I recall spending a considerable chunk of time with MaMere when it was only the two of us.
The picture here is of MaMere and I on my last visit before leaving for Ireland.
